Twice Baked Jerusalem Artichoke Soufflé

Reliable stress-free elegance

The word ‘soufflé’ amongst cooks is often met with a slight shudder and images of a deflating balloon leaving nothing more than a puddle of mixture resembling a hockey puck. No more. Twice baked soufflés rely on the same method, but without the worry of collapse. The first cook sets the base and the second bake brings the lift and airy texture.

While a soufflé is visually exciting, they can be relatively flat in the flavour department. Including a vegetable puree to the base solves that. Jerusalem artichokes pack a lot of flavour into small amounts making them perfect for this recipe, as well as they silky texture.

Bring some elegance and sophistication to a night of celebration with those you love without spending hours in the kitchen with this recipe. 


Serves 2 (makes 4)
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
200g Jerusalem artichokes
150g milk
25g plain flour
25g butter + a little extra
Semolina or breadcrumbs for coating
2 eggs
sea salt flakes
fresh ground black pepper
Shaved nutmeg
60g strong hard cheese
2 tbs double cream

Dressing Ingredients:
A handful of walnuts
60g rapeseed oil
Apple cider vinegar
A pinch of sugar
Preheat the oven to 170°C

1. To cook the Jerusalem artichokes, peel and thinly slice them before adding to the milk in a saucepan over a medium heat. Simmer for 15 minutes until tender then drain reserving the milk.

2. While the artichokes are cooking, grease four ramekins with butter and coat with semolina or breadcrumbs. Put the to one side in a deep roasting tray.

3. To make the soufflé base, melt the butter over a low heat, remove from the heat and stir in the flour to make a roux.

4. By now the artichokes should be cooked. Slowly add the reserved milk to the roux, continually stirring to avoid any lumps. Once incorporated, bring to a boil while stirring. The mixture will thicken fairly quickly and become like a paste. As soon as it stops thickening remove from the heat and set aside. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

5. Puree the artichokes and mix into the soufflé base. Separate the eggs and mix the yolks into the base mixture. Whisk the whites to a soft peak and fold into the base mixture. 

6. Three quarter fill the prepared ramekins with this mixture and add a centimetre of boiling water to the roasting tray. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the soufflés are lightly coloured and feel spongy to the touch. Removed from the oven and water bath then turn out of the ramekins onto a wire rack to cool. At this stage the soufflés can be either frozen for up to 3 months or kept in the fridge for up to 3 days.

7. Turn the oven up to 190°C. To bake the soufflés, put them into an oven proof dish, grate the cheese and mix with cream before spooning on top of the soufflés. Bake for 20 minutes.

8. While they are baking make the dressing. Chop the walnuts and add to a saucepan with the oil. Gently heat until the nuts sizzle at the edges and turn off the heat. Add the vinegar and honey before mixing to emulsify the vinaigrette. 

9. Once the soufflés have puffed up and the cheese is brown, remove from the oven and serve with a winter salad and the walnut dressing.

Chef Notes:
1. These soufflés can be made well in advance and baked from frozen as well as from the fridge.
2. Try different vegetables as the base ingredient. Cauliflower is delicious.
3. The cream and cheese mix to make the sauce is easy to tinker with. Try blue cheese or a soft goats cheese.

Robin Popham
Chef at ‘Create Terroir’ and Sandy Lane Farm veg box customer